This week Google started selling their Nexus Q, the “first social streaming media player”, for $299 and they expect orders to start shipping in 2-3 weeks. Google’s Nexus 7 tablet has been a massive hit and retailers have had trouble keeping it in stock, but don’t expect that problem with the Nexus Q.

I was provided with a review unit of the Nexus Q when I attended Google IO and it’s one of the most confusing Android products I have ever tested. It is not confusing to operate, but I am baffled trying to understand who is going to purchase this product.

The Nexus Q streams media from Google Play and YouTube, and that’s about it. The same tasks can be accomplished with a $99 Google TV box, which also includes a ton of additional features like Google’s Chrome browser with Adobe Flash Player, on-demand gaming with OnLive, streaming movies from Amazon and Netflix, and thousands of apps from the Google Play store.

I forced myself to use the Nexus Q for a couple of days and I was extremely disappointed with the experience. Streaming a movie was nearly unwatchable because it kept skipping and buffering, and it was annoying to have to switch inputs on my entertainment system. It didn’t take long for me to return to my Google TV, and then I boxed up the Nexus Q to give it to my brother Clark.

Surely someone will purchase the Nexus Q and eventually tell me they love it, but I see no reason to recommend the device in its current state to any of my friends. If you plan to purchase the Nexus Q, please tell us why in the comments below.

Taylor is the founder of Android and Me. He resides in Dallas and carries the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and HTC One as his daily devices. Ask him a question on Twitter or Google+ and he is likely to respond. | Ethics statement

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Possibly the same people who buy hamstrung Bang & Olufson equipment, who value style over substance, would be the target market for this device? The idea of using it to make a collaborative music playlist during a party is a neat idea, though.

While a little expensive, though considering some other products it isn’t that bad, it actually is what we were looking to put in the office to stream music in a couple rooms. Sure, we could do it with other devices, but this really does look nice and is easily changed by whomever has an Android device – promoting Android in the office :)

Raul M. you sound like a complete idiot. Just because it’s Android 4. whatever does mean a thing. It’s the name of the updates not the number. 1.Cupcake 2.Donut 3.Eclair 4.FroYo 5.Gingerbread 6.Honeycomb 7.Ice Cream Sandwich 8. Jellybean and then add in Project Butter to smooth all over that and as I see iOS is 2 behind Android, get it right or don’t speak at all.

Love the Nexus 7 but I agree this item doesn’t make sense. The product must make life easier and bring lots of services into a nice little hub. I know Google doesn’t want to copy APPLE or Roku, etc but at least bring on your “A” game like you did with the Nexus 7!!!

Current Q owner here, except I haven’t actually been able to use it yet. The Q app in Play is locked to 4.1 devices only, and my Galaxy Nexus is 4.0.4, so I’ve got no way to control it. The description in play says 2.3 and up, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I’ve read that they’ll fix this by the time the Q ships, but it’s still pretty dang weak.

What did you think about the ability for anybody with an Android device to connect to it and add content? Did it work as advertised? That was the feature that excited me. I’m confused as to why they wouldn’t just make this a full Google TV box as well… how is it truly a MM hub otherwise?

While this may not be the intension of the product, the Nexus Q does makes a big statement about Google and Hardware. Solid hardware. The shell is metal, and has the LED ring around it. The device is simple, appealing and interesting (for the lot of people who like the aesthetics of electronics). Internally it has the guts of a GNex, besides the audio drivers. Its simplicity is something that many of us look for in devices.

Imagine if Google manufactured their own Nexus phone, similar to the Nexus Q. It probably won’t happen. If it were to happen it would be a big hit to other Android manufactures. And Google already has the shared influence of the company that makes their Nexus every year. Still, a Nexus phone manufactured by Google is something I would want (it wouldn’t hurt if Google provided their own wireless plans as well.)

Now, with all that dream theory out of the way, I do see myself owning a Nexus Q. When I get home I turn on music and have it playing till I wake up in the morning. Wiring the device for different rooms in my house, and controlling all of it from my phone or tablet is appealing to me. Having my movies on the Q and other devices at all times is appealing as well. The device is capable of more, and I am sure we will see more features as time goes on. In the future I think it will be a device worth owning.

Google always has new ideas, and puts a lot of money into them. I admire them for it. Not many big companies take the risks that Google does. I suppose most can’t afford to. My hat is off to Google for its persistence in innovation.

now look what you’ve done? you’ve got me dreaming of a device that i won’t have for the foreseeable future: smooth black-matt-metal unibody nexus phone in aircraft grade titanium, with a LED-notification system like the nexus q (kinda similar to the xperia s) running along the bottom.

Google has the capability now, with the purchase of Motorola. However, to appease their partners they are keeping the units separate. Motorola makes solid hardware, now imaging bringing Google with their crazy ideas (I consider a lot of their projects “crazy”, but in a good way… meaning they go for the “what if..”).

My theory is google is letting all the major manufactuers have a go at the nexus so then its fair. Then they can have motorola manufactuer their own google nexus from the top to the bottom, inside and out. and then their slogan will say, “shit just got real”.

as a hardware person, i see a huge amount of possibility here, but yeah as for consumers right now? there isn’t much reason to get it.

it seems similar to the whole $1500 Google Glass, yeah it is available, but only so far as to allow people to build onto it, not exactly priced to be attractive for any other reason. maybe eventually it can become a class of products that doesn’t actually exist yet.

need to get those developers on it though. i wish i was at IO to get one. hopefully more hardware information gets out and then maybe i’ll justify the $300 to start tinkering with it.

I have had a sony google tv for over a year. I love it. For $99 I would recommend it. I guess for me I just like having a browser and netflix, easily usable. It tells me what shows are on TV if I want to know, and youtube videos for friends is fun and easy with a google TV. I am sad when visiting people and I cannot share a video on their tv…

Possibly the same people who buy hamstrung Bang & Olufson equipment, who value style over substance, would be the target market for this device? The idea of using it to make a collaborative music playlist during a party is a neat idea, though.

While a little expensive, though considering some other products it isn’t that bad, it actually is what we were looking to put in the office to stream music in a couple rooms. Sure, we could do it with other devices, but this really does look nice and is easily changed by whomever has an Android device – promoting Android in the office :)

Raul M. you sound like a complete idiot. Just because it’s Android 4. whatever does mean a thing. It’s the name of the updates not the number. 1.Cupcake 2.Donut 3.Eclair 4.FroYo 5.Gingerbread 6.Honeycomb 7.Ice Cream Sandwich 8. Jellybean and then add in Project Butter to smooth all over that and as I see iOS is 2 behind Android, get it right or don’t speak at all.

Love the Nexus 7 but I agree this item doesn’t make sense. The product must make life easier and bring lots of services into a nice little hub. I know Google doesn’t want to copy APPLE or Roku, etc but at least bring on your “A” game like you did with the Nexus 7!!!

Current Q owner here, except I haven’t actually been able to use it yet. The Q app in Play is locked to 4.1 devices only, and my Galaxy Nexus is 4.0.4, so I’ve got no way to control it. The description in play says 2.3 and up, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I’ve read that they’ll fix this by the time the Q ships, but it’s still pretty dang weak.

What did you think about the ability for anybody with an Android device to connect to it and add content? Did it work as advertised? That was the feature that excited me. I’m confused as to why they wouldn’t just make this a full Google TV box as well… how is it truly a MM hub otherwise?

While this may not be the intension of the product, the Nexus Q does makes a big statement about Google and Hardware. Solid hardware. The shell is metal, and has the LED ring around it. The device is simple, appealing and interesting (for the lot of people who like the aesthetics of electronics). Internally it has the guts of a GNex, besides the audio drivers. Its simplicity is something that many of us look for in devices.

Imagine if Google manufactured their own Nexus phone, similar to the Nexus Q. It probably won’t happen. If it were to happen it would be a big hit to other Android manufactures. And Google already has the shared influence of the company that makes their Nexus every year. Still, a Nexus phone manufactured by Google is something I would want (it wouldn’t hurt if Google provided their own wireless plans as well.)

Now, with all that dream theory out of the way, I do see myself owning a Nexus Q. When I get home I turn on music and have it playing till I wake up in the morning. Wiring the device for different rooms in my house, and controlling all of it from my phone or tablet is appealing to me. Having my movies on the Q and other devices at all times is appealing as well. The device is capable of more, and I am sure we will see more features as time goes on. In the future I think it will be a device worth owning.

Google always has new ideas, and puts a lot of money into them. I admire them for it. Not many big companies take the risks that Google does. I suppose most can’t afford to. My hat is off to Google for its persistence in innovation.

now look what you’ve done? you’ve got me dreaming of a device that i won’t have for the foreseeable future: smooth black-matt-metal unibody nexus phone in aircraft grade titanium, with a LED-notification system like the nexus q (kinda similar to the xperia s) running along the bottom.

Google has the capability now, with the purchase of Motorola. However, to appease their partners they are keeping the units separate. Motorola makes solid hardware, now imaging bringing Google with their crazy ideas (I consider a lot of their projects “crazy”, but in a good way… meaning they go for the “what if..”).

My theory is google is letting all the major manufactuers have a go at the nexus so then its fair. Then they can have motorola manufactuer their own google nexus from the top to the bottom, inside and out. and then their slogan will say, “shit just got real”.

as a hardware person, i see a huge amount of possibility here, but yeah as for consumers right now? there isn’t much reason to get it.

it seems similar to the whole $1500 Google Glass, yeah it is available, but only so far as to allow people to build onto it, not exactly priced to be attractive for any other reason. maybe eventually it can become a class of products that doesn’t actually exist yet.

need to get those developers on it though. i wish i was at IO to get one. hopefully more hardware information gets out and then maybe i’ll justify the $300 to start tinkering with it.

I have had a sony google tv for over a year. I love it. For $99 I would recommend it. I guess for me I just like having a browser and netflix, easily usable. It tells me what shows are on TV if I want to know, and youtube videos for friends is fun and easy with a google TV. I am sad when visiting people and I cannot share a video on their tv…